no6fandomcom-20200223-history
Light Novel 3
This is the third light novel for No. 6. Synopsis Chapter One Shion gets distracted by the beautiful sky from his dog-washing duty. When Inukashi asks him why he spends so much time washing just one dog, Shion says that if they're going to be used at blankets, they should at least be clean. Inukashi gets annoyed and takes the dog from Shion and started rinsing out the suds from its fur, the soapy water rushing into the small, clear stream nearby. Shion tells Inukashi that they shouldn't dirty the water since a lot of people drink from the same stream. Inukashi gets confused and asks why he should care about the people downstream. When Inukashi asks why he should care about others, and Shion replies that they're the same as them. Inukashi starts to laugh and asks if Shion thinks that the people from No. 6 and them are the same humans. Inukashi is silent for a bit, and then tells Shion that he's going to die if he actually believes that. He's appalled that Nezumi would even try to put up with him, getting Shion to ask if he and Nezumi are close, in terms of how much they know about each other. Inukashi then says that he doesn't and doesn't want to know about Nezumi at all, and doesn't even consider them friends. He says that they only trade information and money, but then later mentions that Nezumi sings for his suffering dogs at death's door., and that was what he did for his mother, who was a dog. When Inukashi tells Shion how his mother died, Shion tells Inukashi that she must have been a great mother and says that she was a gift of memory for Inukashi. Inukashi then offers Shion lunch after he cleans another dog. Inukashi calls Shion weird both on the inside and outside. When Inukashi opened a door at the end of a hall, Nezumi was sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on a table. After a while of idle bickering, Nezumi offers a gold coin as down payment and another when he finishes a job. Inukashi refuses it off the bat since it's too generous for Nezumi's job to be remotely safe. When Inukashi still refuses the job, Nezumi threatens to never come to Inukashi's aid, even if he's suffering greatly, if he doesn't accept the job. After some thinking, Inukashi agrees to listen to what Nezumi's job is. When Nezumi says that he wants information on the Correctional Facility, Inukashi is surprised that Nezumi is asking for information that he can't get, but Nezumi says that he knows Inukashi knows someone who's been smuggling goods to him. Inukashi accepts the deal but needs more money to get information for him, so Nezumi hands over a pouch of gold coins to use to get the information. When Inukashi is thinking about accepting the job, Nezumi says that if he does accept it, he'll always rush to his side whenever he feels a lot of pain. Inukashi takes the job. Inukashi asks if Shion has anything to do with the job, and Nezumi gets mad and starts to choke Inukashi lightly. When a dog tries to attack him, one of his mice bite and paralyze the dog for a little bit. Shion bursts into the room and asks what Nezumi was doing, since he heard Inukashi and a dog's howl. He then says that he's named one of the mice Hamlet and another, Cravat. Nezumi gets irritated by that and accuses Shion of being the source of his irritation. Shion sees the paralyzed dog and reassures Inukashi that the dog won't die and just needs some rest. He doesn't believe Inukashi when he said that it was Nezumi, saying that Nezumi wouldn't do something like that. When Inukashi said that Nezumi really did do that to his dog, Shion says that he really is kind, saying that he's saved his life more than once and has survived because of him. Inukashi is surprised that Nezumi would take care of Shion, a total stranger to him, without anything he wants in return, even going as far as showing his emotions regarding him. Inukashi then perceives Shion as a weakness of Nezumi. Inukashi then says that the dog that was paralyzed was his youngest brother, one that his mother gave birth too not long before she died. He later says that Shion didn't laugh about his mother being a dog, hesitating before saying that the only ones that didn't laugh after hearing his story would be him and Nezumi. Chapter Two A woman, who works as a nurse in the Municipal Central Hospital in the elderly wing, hated the thought of growing old and loathed looking like the other elderly, saying that she'd rather die than look like them. She went so far as to say that she hated the old. She wanted the city to quickly develop a drug so that her aging would suppress. As she looks into the reflection of a store window, she admires her beauty and youth, wanting to stay like that forever. She decides to buy some new clothing for the Holy Celebration. She starts to feel something at the base of her neck and feels weak, staggering. Dark spots overcome her and she dies, pleading for help. Karan says that before she lost Shion, she was happier than when she was in Chronos, saying that when Shion was caught harboring a VC, she felt relieved, regardless of her lost privileges. She remembers what Shion had said after they had lost their privileges, feeling guilt for bringing his mother down with him. She wonders who Shion helped four years ago. A woman sits next to Karan and strikes up a conversation with her, asking why she looks so sad. The woman said that she lost her three year old son to an illness. She then says that she believes that No. 6 is a utopia, saying that she's heard about the West Block, claiming that the hygiene there is horrible and the children have to drink contaminated water, prone to diseases and the people there are savages. When Karan tries to tell the lady that she doesn't think that the West Block is bad, nor is No. 6 a utopia, a crow interrupts her. After that, a strange man who owns the bird claims to know Karan and takes her away, saying that he needs to talk with her in the car. The man happens to be the niece of Lili, her regular customer. He agrees with Karan's suspicions. The reason he pulled her away from the lady was because he suspected that she was dangerous since she could report Karan's words to the authorities. Karan finds it hard to believe, but the man says that the woman's glasses were suspicious, since they were bigger than usual, probably carrying a microphone and recording device. Karan learns, in the car ride, that the man's name is Yoming. Yoming wants to interview Karan about her pastries, not caring what the authorities say about it. Yoming tells Karan about his dead wife and son who were taken away. It didn't make it on the news since the authorities had the power to manipulate information as they please. Yoming drops her off in front of the bakery, telling Karan to be careful of her words. Karan sees a bee flit by and she's confused as to why bees are still active in the winter. Chapter Three Safu awakens in the Correctional Facility just before a Security Bureau official puts her back to sleep, but before that, he tells her where she is and that she'll be undergoing surgery. Safu starts to cry as the official puts her to sleep, thinking about Shion. Shion and Rikiga meet in front of a restaurant. When Shion wants to give them food, Nezumi says that he can if he can feed every single one there. Shion, knowing it's impossible, gives up on the idea. Shion tells Nezumi that Inukashi will let him continue washing dogs for him, and that one of his dogs has seems to taken a liking to Shion. Nezumi remembers that Shion had gotten paid by Inukashi and tells him to go buy some dried meat and bread. After he buys the food, a young child begs him for a small piece of bread. As Shion offers the child a roll, the kid shoved him violently and took the entire parcel. Shion and his dog chased after the child, only to have the rations split between Shion and the child. Rikiga and Shion talk about Karan, and Rikiga is worried about Shion's health and decides to get him a new (irony am I right) jacket from a second-hand clothing store. When the lady who owns the shop comments about his hair, he remembers Nezumi stroking his hair and saying that his transparent/white hair looked better than his previous hair color. When Shion refuses Rikiga's offer of clothes, Rikiga tells him that the winters are harsh and that he needs the clothing. Shion finally chooses one, but Rikiga disapproves of it and tells him to pick something either flashier or warmer. Shion picks up a coat and recognizes it as Safu's. When Rikiga is informed of who Safu is to Shion, he twists the woman's arm behind her back and asks her harshly where she got the coat. The woman lies, saying that she saw it floating through the sewage, but Shion sees right through her, saying that Safu would never throw her coat out. When the shopkeeper's husband walks in, Rikiga recognizes him and gets him to make the woman tell the truth, much to the woman's despair. The woman then confesses that she got the coat from Inukashi, who passed it from an underground market from the Correctional Facility. Shion dashes towards Inukashi's place in search of answers. A twelve year old boy named Juse was riding in the Forest Park, and he sees a man dead at the foot of a tree. He starts to scream as he sees the man's face. Chapter Four Nezumi thinks about No. 6's demise, reminded of the legend of King Midas's Golden Touch. He promises to keep living so he'll be able to see No. 6's destruction. He looks at Karan's note, asking for help to get Safu back safely. He is at crossroads, wondering what he should do: throw it away and risk Shion's trust or give it to him and risk Shion's life. He's slow to notice Inukashi's presence, noticing that he isn't himself. Luckily, Inukashi doesn't intend on ambushing Nezumi and tells Nezumi about how Shion rushed to him and asked if he had gotten a certain coat from him. He then infers that Nezumi is planning to infiltrate the Correctional Facility to save Safu, so Inukashi gets worried, leading to Nezumi's taunting. Inukashi tells Nezumi that he only told Shion about where he got the coat from and nothing else. He then reminds Nezumi that Shion is planning on going alone, so Nezumi has to protect him to the very end. Inukashi then says that if someone out here has something they need to protect, then they'll lose, which made Nezumi mad enough to charge at Inukashi. Inukashi then sics his dogs at Nezumi, who fended them off barely, with one biting his arm. Light Novel VS Anime * The anime doesn't have a stream nearby, instead it's a fountain, but even then, Shion doesn't confront Inukashi about dirtying the water. * In the anime, it doesn't mention Inukashi being taken by an old man, only that the dog he calls his mother had taken him in. * The anime doesn't talk about the South Block and/or the ashes of prisoners. * In the light novel, Nezumi gives Inukashi gold coins so he can get the information from the smuggler, but in the anime, Nezumi gives him a lot of copper/bronze coins. * In the anime, Nezumi doesn't attack Inukashi when he asks if Shion is involved. * In the anime, Shion says that he's named Nezumi's mice while he was washing the dogs, but in the light novel, he says their names in the room Inukashi and Nezumi meet. * Nezumi's mouse doesn't paralyze the dog in the anime. * The light novel calls the building in No. 6 the Twilight Cottage, whilst the anime calls it the Twilight House. * The festival is called the Holy Day in the anime and the Holy Celebration in the light novel. * In the anime, the woman was calling a man before her death, but the light novel doesn't mention him. * Karan doesn't talk about not believing the City is a utopia in the anime. * In the light novel, Karan is first interrupted by a crow, but in the anime, Yoming takes Karan away. * Yoming doesn't have a pet crow in the anime. * Yoming doesn't go so in depth about his suspicions of the woman in the anime. * The anime doesn't specify what Yoming's career is. * In the anime, Yoming tells Karan about his wife and son in the bakery, not the car, like the light novel says. * Safu isn't seen going through surgery in the anime. * Shion and Rikiga don't meet at a restaurant. * Nezumi doesn't tell Shion to buy anything on his own in the anime. * Shion wears his jacket, not sweater, in the anime when Rikiga is worried about his health. * In the anime, Shion isn't seen wearing a wool hat. * Since Nezumi teased Inukashi about being "Shion's Papa," and his choice of pronouns, it is more heavily implied that Inukashi is a boy, or wants to be a boy, than the anime. Quotes (Shion about the dirtied water to Inukashi): "Yeah, but there's no need to go out of the way to make it dirty. We can do what we did yesterday, and put water in steel drums and wash the dogs there," (Inukashi about Nezumi's singing): "The wind, maybe...? A wind that comes blowing from far away...yeah, his song steals away souls that are struggling because they can't die. Just like how the wind scatters flower petals, his song cuts the soul away from the body. Any dog, no matter how much he's suffering, closes his eyes and becomes quiet. You think he's just settled down, but he's not actually breathing. They all die quietly, like all their suffering was just a dream or something. It was like that with my Mum, too. Yeah. She got killed by a couple of brats that live downstream, the ones you said I shouldn't make the water dirty for. She got rocks thrown at her, and was clubbed to death with an oak stick. But my Mum was at fault for that, too. She tried to steal their only supper. She snuck into their hut, and got caught holding their dried meat in her mouth. When she finally got away and managed to come back, both her front legs and ribs were broken, and she was bleeding from her mouth. There was nothing we could do," (Inukashi about Nezumi to Nezumi): "Is this your idea of a decent customer? Taking advantage of someone's weakness, threatening him, and then forcing a dangerous job on him? I think even fleas are a little nicer to the dogs they infest, compared to you," (Nezumi really wanting Inukashi to do the job): "I only have this much right now. Inukashi, work with me. I'm begging you," (Inukashi about Nezumi to Shion): "Yes way. He did it. That bastard paralyzed my dog. He wouldn't hesitate to do something like that. He's ruthless, cunning and cruel. I'd watch out if I were you. If you let his pretty face fool you into thinking he's going to be gentle and kind like your Mum, you're in for a nasty surprise...Idiot. That's what I'm talking about when I say he's fooled you. You're too naïve to notice how heartless he is...Nezumi, help a stranger? Without anything in return?" (Young Shion to Karan): "Mom, I'm sorry...Because...Mom, you...you have to go out and work now. I'm sorry," (Lili's uncle about the woman): "You were a hair away from voicing your dissatisfaction toward the city. Am I right? There's a possibility it might've been dangerous. What would you have done if that lady decided you were trouble?...What I'm saying is, she would've gone to the authorities and told them that the woman sitting on the park bench has a dissatisfaction with the city," (Yoming about himself): "I run an electronic newsfeed for all sorts of entertainment in the areas, all of them except Chronos. Which isn't much, I mean, apart from dining and seasonal events, which is mostly what I do. Since the city oversees all the plays, concerts and print publishing, there's not much we can write about other than food and drink. The Food Bureau's out of the question, no way I could get inside that place--so it's just stuff like where to eat good cakes, or good places to have lunch, or things like that. I do the best I can. It's actually quite popular. I mean, after all, in Lost Town, there's not much to do for fun other than eat or drink, so everyone's eager for information," (Yoming's warning to Karan): "Shh--! I understand how you feel, but don't say those kinds of things out loud here. You don't know who might be listening," (Rikiga's threatening interrogation to the shopkeeper): "If you don't want your arm broken, you better spit it out. How did you get this coat?" (Nezumi's thoughts on No. 6): "No. 6, what will you do? You, the city that looks down on us in our darkness, and glitters in all its deception and artifice, will you too grovel on the ground one day and beg for forgiveness? But there will be no gods to grant you mercy. Clad in that golden robe of yours, you'll crumble, burn to ashes, and perish. I'll live until the moment the curtains fall on your finale. I'll keep living, and see the end with my own eyes," (Inukashi to Nezumi about Shion): "If he's so precious to you that you don't wanna lose him, protect him to the very end. And do whatever it takes to protect him, you idiot, no matter how humiliating it is. You think you can save face, huh? Keep it all hidden, and take care of it all on your own? Stop fooling yourself," Navigation Category:Light Novel Category:Media